Six Brookhaven Scientists Named Fellows of the American Physical Society

Published on December 17, 2009 at 5:42 PM

Six scientists at the U.S. Department
of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have been named Fellows of the
American Physical Society (APS), a professional organization with more than
47,000 members. Election to APS Fellowship is limited to no more than one half
of one percent of its membership in a given year, and election for this honor
indicates recognition by scientific peers for outstanding contributions to physics.

The 2009 Fellows from Brookhaven are:

James Alessi
“For his many groundbreaking contributions to the development of intense
negatively charged hydrogen (H-) beam sources, both unpolarized and spin-polarized,
and the development of a high intensity Electron Beam Ion Source for the production
of beams of high charge state heavy ions.”

Alessi develops ion sources to generate beams of particles used in various
accelerators at Brookhaven, including the world-class nuclear physics accelerator,
the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). At RHIC, physicists from around
the world study extremely hot, dense matter that is thought to have existed
a few millionths of a second after the Big Bang. A new Electron Beam Ion Source
now being commissioned will generate heavy ion beams for both the NASA Space
Radiation Laboratory at Brookhaven, where researchers assess the effects of
high-energy charged particles on biological systems, materials, and instruments
in an effort to understand the potential risks of exposure to space radiation,
and RHIC. Alessi also developed high-intensity ion sources, such as that used
for the Brookhaven Linac Isotope Producer, which makes short-lived radioisotopes
that are used as diagnostic, research and calibration agents in hospitals and
research institutions.

Charles Black
“For pioneering contributions to the integration of nanometer-scale polymer
self-assembly in the fabrication of high-performance semiconductor microelectronic
devices.”

During his career at IBM, Black pioneered the use of self-assembly in nanotechnology
to fabricate high-performance semiconductor devices used in microelectronics.
Self-assembly is the spontaneous organization of materials into regular patterns.
Under controlled conditions, certain materials will self-organize into patterns
on the scale of tens of nanometers with dimensions and uniformity unattainable
by conventional means. In his current research at Brookhaven’s Center
for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN), Black is designing and applying self-assembly
approaches to build nanostructured solar cells from low-cost polymer and nanocrystal
materials.

At Brookhaven’s National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS), scientists
use light that spans a very wide range of energies along the electromagnetic
spectrum, from x-rays to microwaves, to study materials as diverse as computer
chips and viruses. The spectral range of light between infrared and microwaves
is known as terahertz, which describes the light’s frequency. Carr’s
research at the NSLS has demonstrated the importance of terahertz frequencies
in studying the electronic behavior of materials such as semiconductors and
superconductors.

Milind Diwan
“For his contributions to neutrino and kaon physics.”

Diwan studies neutrinos, unusual particles that can pass through anything in
their path. Neutrinos have intrigued scientists around the world, including
Brookhaven Lab chemist Raymond Davis, Jr., who won the Nobel Prize in Physics
in 2002 for detecting neutrinos originating in the sun. In particular, Diwan
is trying to determine if neutrinos play a part in the asymmetry of matter and
antimatter in the universe, a puzzle that has confounded physicists for decades.

Diwan also studies heavy subatomic particles called kaons at Brookhaven’s
Alternating Gradient Synchrotron. Kaons spontaneously break down, or decay,
in various ways, some of them occurring as infrequently as one in ten billion
particle interactions. If these rare kaon decays occur significantly more often
than predicted by the Standard Model, the modern physics theory of elementary
particles, then new physics will have been discovered.

Hall works with lasers to understand how molecules collide, exchange energy,
react, and break apart. He and his colleagues have developed and applied experimental
techniques using very sensitively controlled laser light to measure the flow
of energy inside a molecule as it breaks apart. Using this light, he can also
measure velocities of molecules, the orientation of rotating molecules, and
molecular collisions that lead to chemical reactions or energy transfer between
molecules. This information provides a basis for testing theories used in computer
models of combustion, which are used, for instance, by combustion engineers
to design fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly combustion devices.

Thomas Ullrich
“For his leading contributions to the study of electrons, and hadrons
containing charm and bottom quarks in relativistic heavy ion collisions.”

Measurements from RHIC experiments have revealed compelling evidence for a
new state of nuclear matter created at the extremely high densities and temperatures
achieved in heavy ion collisions. This type of matter is believed to have existed
just microseconds after the Big Bang. By studying electrons and charm and bottom
quarks produced at RHIC, Ullrich has found intriguing hints about the properties
of the dense matter created in these collisions.